Get all the facts on sewer

Published: Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 7:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 7:30 a.m.

Henderson County is doing the right thing to study its wastewater needs before deciding whether to consolidate sewage services with a new regional water and sewer authority.

N.C. Rep. Chuck McGrady has asked General Assembly staffers to include the county's Cane Creek Water and Sewer District, which serves about 3,500 sewer customers in the Fletcher area, in a draft bill merging Asheville's water system with Buncombe County's Metropolitan Sewerage District.

Henderson County leaders say they want to complete a sewer study before deciding whether joining a regional authority best serves local customers. "I don't think it would be fair to Henderson County until we get that study completed and see what our options are," Commission Chairman Charlie Messer said.

Messer is right. The study might very well show that it makes sense for Henderson County to join the new regional authority, but some questions must be answered. These include how much representation the county would have on a regional authority board, and thus how much say the county would have over when and where sewage lines are extended.

Since the county does not own a sewage treatment plant and already sends wastewater from the Cane Creek system to MSD, joining the new authority might be the most cost-effective option. MSD officials estimate Cane Creek customers would save about $10 per month if the two utilities consolidated. But earlier talks about merging the two systems fell apart over the issue of governance.

A 2011 bill passed by the General Assembly, introduced by McGrady and Rep. Tim Moffitt, R-Buncombe, would give Henderson County two seats on a merged sewer board, while giving three seats each to Buncombe County and Asheville. Messer says Henderson County should get four slots on a nine-member board or five on a 10-member board in order to have "meaningful" representation.

McGrady says the 2011 bill was meant to eliminate "a political impediment in our effort last time to bring Henderson County into a combined sewer authority," not to reflect the potential makeup of a new regional water and sewer board, which remains up in the air. "Once we create a statute that forms a (regional) water and sewer authority, we're going to have to change the whole governance formula again," he said.

That makes sense. But Henderson County needs to get a complete picture of its current and projected sewer needs. Under a current agreement, the county can send up to 1.35 million gallons of wastewater daily to MSD for treatment. MSD now treats 16 million gallons on average every day. That's just 40 percent of the plant's capacity of 40 million gallons per day. And 40 percent of that 16 million gallons is groundwater and rainwater leaking into the system, according to MSD's website.

Bottom line: It is hard to imagine a scenario in which Henderson County could come out ahead building a sewage treatment plant of its own, especially since MSD has so much excess capacity. But county leaders are doing the right thing to get all the facts, and to insist the county be well represented, if a sewer merger comes to pass.

<p>Henderson County is doing the right thing to study its wastewater needs before deciding whether to consolidate sewage services with a new regional water and sewer authority.</p><p>N.C. Rep. Chuck McGrady has asked General Assembly staffers to include the county's Cane Creek Water and Sewer District, which serves about 3,500 sewer customers in the Fletcher area, in a draft bill merging Asheville's water system with Buncombe County's Metropolitan Sewerage District. </p><p>Henderson County leaders say they want to complete a sewer study before deciding whether joining a regional authority best serves local customers. "I don't think it would be fair to Henderson County until we get that study completed and see what our options are," Commission Chairman Charlie Messer said. </p><p>Messer is right. The study might very well show that it makes sense for Henderson County to join the new regional authority, but some questions must be answered. These include how much representation the county would have on a regional authority board, and thus how much say the county would have over when and where sewage lines are extended.</p><p>Since the county does not own a sewage treatment plant and already sends wastewater from the Cane Creek system to MSD, joining the new authority might be the most cost-effective option. MSD officials estimate Cane Creek customers would save about $10 per month if the two utilities consolidated. But earlier talks about merging the two systems fell apart over the issue of governance. </p><p>A 2011 bill passed by the General Assembly, introduced by McGrady and Rep. Tim Moffitt, R-Buncombe, would give Henderson County two seats on a merged sewer board, while giving three seats each to Buncombe County and Asheville. Messer says Henderson County should get four slots on a nine-member board or five on a 10-member board in order to have "meaningful" representation.</p><p>McGrady says the 2011 bill was meant to eliminate "a political impediment in our effort last time to bring Henderson County into a combined sewer authority," not to reflect the potential makeup of a new regional water and sewer board, which remains up in the air. "Once we create a statute that forms a (regional) water and sewer authority, we're going to have to change the whole governance formula again," he said.</p><p>That makes sense. But Henderson County needs to get a complete picture of its current and projected sewer needs. Under a current agreement, the county can send up to 1.35 million gallons of wastewater daily to MSD for treatment. MSD now treats 16 million gallons on average every day. That's just 40 percent of the plant's capacity of 40 million gallons per day. And 40 percent of that 16 million gallons is groundwater and rainwater leaking into the system, according to MSD's website.</p><p>Bottom line: It is hard to imagine a scenario in which Henderson County could come out ahead building a sewage treatment plant of its own, especially since MSD has so much excess capacity. But county leaders are doing the right thing to get all the facts, and to insist the county be well represented, if a sewer merger comes to pass.</p>